


magically in love

by chanyeoled



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-14 01:36:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14125281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chanyeoled/pseuds/chanyeoled
Summary: Slytherin Byun Baekhyun's life takes a dangerous twist once he finds out about Park Chanyeol's deadly secret. Or; Baekhyun is a lazy prankster and loves to get on everyone's nerves – Chanyeol's especially.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> harry potter is amazing and so is chanbaek but what's new

Byun Baekhyun sure is _sneaky_.

From the way his lips twist into a sarcastic smile to the way he leans back and enjoys himself — it's true, Slytherin Baekhyun just _loves_ playing mind games, especially when it's the shy Hufflepuff Kim Jongin and the socially awkward Ravenclaw Do Kyungsoo.

After six months of unsatisfying boredom, far far away from the magical school of witchcraft and wizardry, the brown-haired Slytherin couldn't wait to finally come back and do what he loves to do the most. _Pulling pranks on the other students._

Right now, he watches the shitstorm in front of him unfold.

"D-Did _you_ do that?" Kyungsoo asks with a trembling voice.

"No, I didn't!" Jongin's eyes are big and sparkling. "I don't even know how to do such a spell, I swear!" _Of_ _course_ _that dumbass can't, I had to practice for ages for that spell to work!,_  he thinks.

The other students gathered around the two wizards, everyone looking just as curious and amused as Baekhyun does. The Hogwarts Express was driving through a forest in the meantime, rain drumming against the windows of the gigantic train, but Baekhyun couldn't bother, he was too intrigued by the funny act in front of him.

"Do you want me to ... do something about it?" Jongin asks, eyes constantly gazing from Kyungsoo to the wand in his hand. "I'm so sorry!"

Kyungsoo forces himself to stay calm, after all, it takes a lot to actually get angry at someone as innocent as Kim Jongin. "No, it's o-okay." He says, but he sure as hell doesn't look like it. Baekhyun silently giggles to himself.

It was a good idea to smuggle the Green-O-Frogs with him to the Hogwarts Express.

After secretly interconverting Jongin's boring Fizzy Wizzy's with his own self-made Green-O-Frogs, he just waited for the things to take their turn. He couldn't possibly know that Jongin would offer his Fizzy Wizzy's to Do Kyungsoo, who then assumed that it was Jongin's fault. Oh, things were just going so well. And now Kyungsoo's face was green and nobody knew that it was Baekhyun after all.

Well, that wasn't quite true.

"Okay, what did you do to that poor guy?"

Baekhyun didn't even notice that his friend Kim Jongdae was standing next to him until he dared to speak up. "Oh, it's nothing."

"His face is green!"

"So? Remember when I made Yixing fart for twelve hours straight? Fun times."

"No, that wasn't funny it was _disgusting_." Jongdae sighs, now facing the Slytherin again. It was a rare thing for a Gryffindor and a Slytherin to just get along, but Baekhyun and Jongdae make it work. "Kyungsoo looks really uncomfortable Baek, do something about this mess." 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, his arms still crossed in a mocking manner. "Calm down, Dae", he smirks. "I have everything under control."

"Yeah", Jongdae gazes at a nearly crying Kyungsoo and a puppy-like Jongin, freaking out because he doesn't know what to do with a green Kyungsoo in front of him. "Definitely under control."

"Okay okay okay", Baekhyun says. "It's not my fault they can't take a silly joke!"

"But you just had to pick the most insecure students at Hogwarts for you silly joke, hadn't you?" Jongdae looks angry now, throwing a deathly stare at the Slytherin. "Do. Something. About. This. Mess."

Baekhyun gives in. (He can't help it, Jongdae is just too stubborn for his own good.)

According to what Baekhyun read in the _Pranking Fellow Students - Here's How!_ guide, Kyungsoo shouldn't stay green for longer than a few minutes (or hours), so technically there was nothing to worry about, but Byun Baekhyun wasn't _entirely_ sneaky. He longed for his wand, ignoring the thankful expression on Jongdae's face, and just when he was about to-

"What the hell is going on? Why is that Ravenclaw kid _green_?"

" _This can't be fucking happening right now_ ", Baekhyun mumbles to himself, letting his wand slide back into his pants. Out of all the students that could've appeared at this very moment, why does it have to be Mr. I-Am-So-Perfect-No-One-Is-Better-Than-Me Slytherin prefect Park Chanyeol?

"I-I-I don't know!" Jongin cries out, begging for forgiveness. "I just gave him my Fizzy Wizzy's and now he's ... he's green."

"I see that", Chanyeol wore his Slytherin scarf is pride and dignity, a very cocky and superior frown on his manly face. There was a reason why Park Chanyeol was the most loved and respected student at Hogwarts — he was scary as fuck. It was no secret around the Slytherin's that Chanyeol was one of the rare heirs of the wealthy Park household; that gave him status and power. And for fuck's sake, he knows how to handle power.

"Where's the Ravenclaw prefect?" Chanyeol's deep commanding voice roars through the compartment. The other students start leaving in a hurry, having lost the fun once Chanyeol appeared. _No wonder._

"He must be in another compartment", the green Kyungsoo says shyly. "I'm sorry for ... this." He points at his face and Baekhyun can't help but grin. 

"You're an asshole." Jongdae snarls silently. 

Chanyeol shoots a bored look at both Jongin and Kyungsoo, appearing to be so disinterested in Kyungsoo's green face that Baekhyun wonders why he applied for the job as a prefect in the first way. "Seems like someone pulled a childish prank on you."

Jongin gasps, pretending to be shocked (though he certainly isn't), while Kyungsoo nods understandingly. "Who would do that?" He asks.

"Yeah, just who?" Jongdae asks all of a sudden, making the three guys in front of them finally realize that there were two other students standing a few steps away from them. Luckily, they don't notice how Jongdae eyes Baekhyun suspiciously.

"Gryffindor, this is none of your business." Chanyeol says superficially, only staring at the red scarf that Jongdae is wearing. "And Byun, the fuck are you doing here?"

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. "I was actually trying to pee, but then I saw something green and got curious."

"Uh ... same", Jongdae probably regrets saying it the second after the words escaped his lips (and Baekhyun gave his friend a surprised look at that).

Chanyeol, obviously annoyed and bored, opens his mouth to say something ignorant and cocky, but he gets cut off by a female person entering the compartment. The girl had long wavy hair and wore the same silver and green scarf that Baekhyun and Chanyeol did. It's Kim Yoojung, another popular Slytherin girl. "Yeol, what's wrong?" She says, but Chanyeol doesn't need to answer that once she sees Kyungsoo's face. "Oh."

"Yeah, it's probably a first grader shopping at Zonko's Joke Shop."

The girl giggles. "You're helping this poor boy, aren't you, baby?"

"I can try my best but that's it", Chanyeol pats Yoojung's back and lets out a sigh. "Maybe it's not so bad that that Ravenclaw prefect is nowhere to be found. Because actually, I am the best student Hogwarts has to offer." Chanyeol smirks, looking so full of himself Baekhyun could've thrown up. 

"Well, he's not wrong." Jongdae whispers before they head back to their compartment.

 

* * *

 

Professor Dumbledore holds a speech that Baekhyun isn't following (to no one's surprise), he is too hungry to sit in The Great Hall and listen to the same boring speech that the teachers repeat every year for the seventh time. _You may not visit the Forbidden Forest_ , yada yada, _You may not enter the common rooms of houses other than your own_ , yada yada, _You may not remove books from the Restricted Section in the Library_ , yada yada -

Baekhyun knows those in and out. 

Also, it's not like he follows the rules anyway.

He's Byun Baekhyun, after all.

"Are you sleeping?" 

"No, you idiot, I am eating." Baekhyun rolls his eyes.

Kris Wu grins, showing his perfectly white teeth off. He was one of the only students at Slytherin that didn't hate Baekhyun's guts (probably because they used to attend detention together last year, and probably because he's one of the only students that Baekhyun didn't pull a bad prank on). "I am so used to seeing you sleep at weird places that it's a shocker when you're actually awake."

"Trust me, I'd _love_ to sleep", he stares at Dumbledore and shakes his head. "Truly, I love that man, but how the hell do all of you find the motivation to listen to him repeat the same thing over and over again?"

"Well", Kris leans back confidently. "Hufflepuffs listen out of politeness, Ravenclaws listen because they don't want to miss out on something, Gryffindors only pretend to listen, and Slytherins ...", he gazes over the Slytherin table, frowning. "Seriously, who the heck listens here?"

Baekhyun follows Kris' gaze and starts counting. Not _one_ Slytherin is actually listening to Dumbledore's speech, it seems. Some of them are talking to their friends, some are dozing off, and some are ... "wait", Baekhyun sharpens his eyes. "Where is Park Chanyeol?" ... a _nd some are absent._

As if on cue, Dumbledore's voice gets louder; so loud that it is impossible to avoid and Baekhyun finds himself listening to the headmaster's words carefully.

"This year, it is our duty to look after those who need it. Whether it's time for us to learn to love or to forgive. It's time for all of us to finally realize that we can only win as four, whether it be Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw." Dumbledore stops for a second. "Dark times lie ahead of us. And our fight for the good is not over until they lie past us."

Baekhyun fills his plate with lots of chicken.

_Yada yada yada._

 

* * *

 

"What's that, Hagrid?" Jongdae asks curiously, his eyes glued to the ... to the _thing_ that Hagrid was playing with.

"That's a baby Venomous Tentacula, Jongdae, haven't you listened to Professor Sprout in Herbalogy last year?" Kyungsoo asks and seems genuinely shocked. "They are usualy very dangerous."

"What do you mean 'dangerous'?"

"Well", Kyungsoo starts, looking very serious and affected all of a sudden. "Their spikes are deadly. I really don't know why you would ever take that near us, Hagrid!"

"Ah", Hagrid shrugs it off, an innocent smile on his big lips. "Balderdash! They're totally harmless."

"N-No they aren't!" Kyungsoo shrieks.

"It's a baby!"

Baekhyun takes a closer look at the little (seriously harmless looking) plant in front of him. It had lots of veins and a surprisingly cute mouth. "Yeah, just wait until it grows."

"It's not staying here for that long, boy." Hagrid says, his voice sounding sad. "It's just for tonight, y'know. Professor Sprout asked me to take care of them until she prepares her Herbalogy lesson for tomorrow." He shrugs, taking a short look of the dangerous plant before turning back to the three boys. "Anyways ... why did you visit me in the first place?"

At that, Kyungsoo sighs in embarrassment. "If you haven't noticed it until now, _my face is green._ "

Oh right! He totally forgot that!

Apparently, the jinx didn't just last for a couple of minutes, but a couple of ... months. Madam Pomfrey told Kyungsoo that he needed a balm that Hagrid had somewhere in his hut. And because Jongdae wouldn't stop nagging, Baekhyun had to admit that it was him so Jongin wouldn't cry in a corner out of guilt anymore.

"Now that you say it", Hagrid studies Kyungsoo's green face passionately. "Well boys, you should go ask Madam Pom -"

"She said she ran out of  _Anphritircus_ ", Kyungsoo says 'Anphritircus' as if it is the most common word in the word. "And that you possess it."

"Oh!" Hagrid stands up (and Baekhyun hates how small he looks in contrast to the giant next to him). "I have no clue what Anphradeldus is, but it sounds familiar to something that Madam Pomfrey gave me sixteen years ago!"

Jongdae and Baekhyun exchange a short look.

"First of all, it's _Anphritircus_." Kyungsoo corrects.

"First of all, maybe you should stay green forever", Baekhyun adds sarcastically.

"... and secondly, is something that she gave you sixteen years ago still useful?" Kyungsoo asks, ignoring the bratty comment of Baekhyun.

"Honestly Hagrid, I don't think you will find it if it's so old." Jongdae says truthfully. "I mean ... it could be anywhere."

Hagrid chews on his upper lip, thinking carefully. "You're right, Jongdae, absolutely right ... I mean, I could try, but I'm not the youngest anymore, y'know. I forget almost everything ... I even forgot that I had a dog last week."

"What ... okay whatever", Kyungsoo shakes his green head. "You _have_ to find it or I'm staying green for a long long time! How can anyone ever take me seriously like that?"

"Don' worry, boy!" Hagrid starts looking in the kitchen, opening drawers and searching for the balm inside of them. "I will find it. I know what it feels like to not get taken seriously, been through that."

Kyungsoo nods thankfully.

"Well", Baekhyun jumps up, giving Kyungsoo a pitiful look. "Seems like we can't do anything right now, we should just go -",

"You just want to go back to the dormitory and sleep, Baek." Jongdae crosses his arms. "It was you who made him become green in the first place. You can't just rush off and force him to accept the situation."

"What, do you want to watch Hagrid look for the balm until they force us to go back to our common rooms? Haven't you listened to Dumbledore earlier? We have a curfew to follow."

"Since when do _you_ actually listen to Dumbledore's speech?"

Baekhyun opens his mouth to his defense, but Kyungsoo says something out of the blue instead. "No, he's right", Kyungsoo crosses his arms, his green face looking even more ridiculous than before (and Baekhyun truly hates himself for thinking that). "We should go back and let Hagrid look for the balm thoroughly. If we stay here, we might bother him."

"See", Baekhyun says triumphantly, being disappointed by Jongdae ignoring him.

"Are you sure?" Jongdae knits his brows, staring from Hagrid to Kyungsoo to the baby Venomous Tentacular. "I mean, we could find it way faster if we look for it together."

"But the _curfew_ ", Baekhyun sings (he swears he can hear Jongdae hiss 'shut up', but chooses to overhear it).

"I rather stay green for another day than to get expelled." Kyungsoo says. "As much as I would love to disagree with Baekhyun, he has a point." Kyungsoo and Jongdae sigh both at once. "Hagrid, I'm sorry -"

Hagrid shrugs, shaking his head. "No, it's a'right, really. Fang 'n I will look for it everywhere. Jus' trust me, a'right?"

The three wizards nod as Baekhyun already opens the door. He watches Jongdae and Kyungsoo wave Hagrid goodbye and can't avoid noticing how the Gryffindor pats Kyungsoo's back encouragingly.

Man, Jongdae really is a nice one.

 

* * *

 

Baekhyun has always thought he was a miserable person.

He first came to that conclusion when he made his little brother eat dirt at age eight and was pretty sure about it when the Sorting Head told him he was a Slytherin at age eleven. From then on, it was just everybody else telling him that he was a miserable person.

In his mother's eyes, everything he did was miserable anyway. If he would try to bake a cake, it would most likely taste miserable. And if he would come back home at the Holidays, he'd make _her_ feel miserable. 

And after a while, Baekhyun got used to the feeling of misery.

When Baekhyun made Kyungsoo turn green yesterday, he didn't feel miserable in the slightest. Not even when they were at Hagrids. No. But when he saw three Slytherins gang up against Kyungsoo at potions today, he did, in fact, feel miserable.

Because to be honest, Kyungsoo looks hilarious and _god,_ Baekhyun would've _loved_ to laugh out loud — but when he heard Oh Sehun laugh at Kyungsoo arrogantly, the smile drained from his face. Sehun was a douchebag. Always selfish, always arrogant, always bullying. And for some reason, no one bothered to stop him. Students just let Oh Sehun walk around and attack whoever he pleases to attack.

"Oh _wow_ , his face is green", Baekhyun rolls his eyes as if it was totally-not-funny, (even though it totally was). "For how long do you want to milk that joke out, Sehun? It's annoying."

The class falls silent. 

Ravenclaws and Slytherins have potions together this year, and Baekhyun is glad that Professor Snape isn't here to listen to their conversation yet. Sehun stares at Baekhyun in confusion, almost as if he's disappointed in him for backing a non-Slytherin up. "Wha -", Sehun never finishes whatever it is that he wants to say as he turns back to see who the sudden hand belongs to that rests on his shoulder.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes immediately. 

Park Chanyeol appears behind his fellow friend Oh Sehun, the same confident and superior smile on his stupid face as always. He lets out a muffled sigh, letting his head fall back casually. "Looking for trouble again, Byun?" 

"Not at all", Baekhyun says. "I just want _your_ friend to stop bothering _my_ friend, that's it."

"Your friend? Since when is that Ravenclaw your friend?" Sehun asks, scoffing. 

Chanyeol's red lips twist into a self-satisfying smirk and Baekhyun really doesn't know where he takes all that stupid confidence from. "I don't think Sehun was bothering him. After all, he's wearing our color, isn't he?" The Slytherins behind Chanyeol clap in enthusiasm once they notice that Kyungsoo's green face and silver gloves match their house-colors. "Is he bothering you, Kyungsoo?"

Kyungsoo stares from Baekhyun to Chanyeol, obviously feeling uncomfortable in his skin. As so often, Park Chanyeol uses his dumb 'prefect' status to get what he wants. "No, I don't feel bothered." He says, even though it is clear as crystal that he fucking is.

"There you have it", Chanyeol lets himself fall on a free chair, hands behind his head. 

Baekhyun shoots an angry stare at Kyungsoo. Was he really that afraid of Chanyeol and his dumbo-ears? Why was everybody allowing that prick to do whatever he wants? Why was nobody coming for Kyungsoo's defense other than him? Why wasn't even Kyungsoo himself coming for his defense?

After all, Chanyeol wasn't _that_ scary.

"That little kid totally ruined it all for me", Sehun sighs dramatically, his long, slender fingers pointing to where Baekhyun sits. "I'm not in the mood to make fun of that green boy anymore."

"I just don't understand", Yoojung, Chanyeol's alleged girlfriend, whispers. "I thought _he_ was the one that made the Ravenclaw become green in the first place?"

At that, all the students turn to Baekhyun. 

" _You_?" Chanyeol grins, surprised in a mischievous way. "So that's why you feel the need to protect that kid? Because _you_ are the childish wizard that pulled a prank on him?"

(" _Not surprised_ ", someone whispers.)

"So fucking what?" Baekhyun tries his best to stay calm, even at a situation as embarrassing as this in which everyone was staring at him in curiosity and hatred. "Kyungsoo forgave me and I regret it, it's all good."

The Slytherin's laugh.

"How the fuck can _you_ be a Slytherin, Byun Baekhyun?" Chanyeol eyes him with his I-Am-Way-Better-Than-You (And-You-Know-It) facial expression, brows arched, lips twitching into a smile. "You're a fucking kid, still. A dumb Hufflepuff, maybe. An idiotic Gryffindor, maybe. But it truly is a pity to have you sit with us at the Slytherin table every day ... pulling your immature pranks on other students and not even noticing how nobody fucking likes you."

"You're _useless_ , Byun." 

Now, students gasp and whisper hysterically.

Everyone expects Baekhyun to flip his table in anger, to jump up and jinx Chanyeol, to run away and cry his eyes out (duh, he would never) — but that isn't the case. Instead, Byun Baekhyun _smiles_. He takesa deep breath, enjoying the looks of plain disappointment on the other student's faces. "You'll regret that, Park", he says calmly, the smile still sitting on his small face. "And you'll take it all back."

Yeah, Baekhyun is totally used to the feeling of misery.

 

* * *

 

"No more pranks?"

"Yup."

"No more sleeping in class?"

"Yup."

"No more childish jinxes?"

"Yup."

"No more making fun of other people?"

"Well ... -"

"Baekhyun!"

"Well, okay, no more making fun of other people."

"That is ... incredible", Jongdae jumps up and down in excitement and Baekhyun rolls his eyes, already feeling the need to make fun of Xang Yixing who accidentally bumps into Do Kyungsoo. ( _Idiots_.)

Kyungsoo apologizes and quickly runs towards Jongdae and Baekhyun. "Hey, look at my face!"

"It's ... _orange_?! What the hell?" Jongdae blinks.

"Hagrid sent me an owl yesterday, asking me to come visit him in his Hut because he found the Anphritircus in one of his closets." Kyungsoo seems excited and the look on Jongdae's face is truly amazing. "I guess since it's so old, it heals differently. My face was purple yesterday. Madam Pomfrey said it's only natural for it to turn orange and yellow before the jinx washes away for good."

"Uh ... I mean wow, didn't think that Hagrid would find it."

"At least now you don't look like a Slytherin mascot anymore", Baekhyun remarks and Jongdae quickly kicks him in the guts at that comment. "Ouch, - I mean ... _I am glad._ "

Kyungsoo smiles. "Yeah, and the others seem to have gotten used to the weird color on my face as well. It's not half as embarrassing as it was yesterday anymore."

"Yeah ... it really ... it really does look better." If there's one thing that never fails to amuse Byun Baekhyun, it's watching his Gryffindor friend Kim Jongdae try to lie, and granted, he is a _very very very very_ bad liar. "I mean, h-how long will it take to wash out anyway?"

Kyungsoo shrugs. "In the worst case scenario, a few months." He glares at Baekhyun, this time not half as angry as before. "Oh, and by the way, t-thank you Baekhyun. For ... for what you did in potions."

Baekhyun wants to wave it off, but curious little Kim Jongdae widens his eyes in interest already. "What did that jerk do?"

"H-He helped me with a couple of Slytherins." Kyungsoo turns all shy and timid at the thought of Chanyeol and Sehun, his orange face flushing red and _Jesus Christ_ , it just looks so absurd. 

"He did _what_?!"

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. "Don't act like I've never been nice before."

"No, but isn't it weird that you suddenly want to stop with the jinxes and everything else _and_ are being kind to Kyungsoo in addition?"

"Baekhyun wants to stop jinxing us?" Yixing, obviously recovered from bumping into Kyungsoo, runs towards the three boys and smiles as if it was the best thing that has ever happened to him. "Is this true?"

"Yes!" Jongdae starts getting happy for no damn reason again.

"It's finally happening!" Yixing cries out. "That farting jinx was the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me in my life before, I swear!"

"Y-Yeah", Kyungsoo admits. "And nobody wanted to sit next to you for half a year, even though the jinx stopped after one day."

"That was fucked up." The three boys nod — Baekhyun sighs.

Their classes begin in ten minutes and the four boys stand close to the Green Houses, waiting for Professor Sprout to open the door and force them to listen to her lecture about Snargaluffs for way too long. But right now, Snargaluffs sound better than standing here and listening to Jongdae and Yixing talk about how great this year will be now that Baekhyun finally grows up.

_They sound just like Chanyeol._

Was it really that childish of him to jinx Kyungsoo into becoming green? Or to make Yixing fart nonstop? Or that one time where he jinxed Jongdae into saying everything that he thinks out loud? (man, that was really amazing, especially when Jongdae told Snape that he should wash his hair.)

"But what changed?" Jongdae asks, now facing Baekhyun kindly. There he was again, the understanding, always accepting Gryffindor, that always tries his best to help whoever he can help. "After all, the jinxes weren't completely rubbish. Some of them were really funny."

Yixing nods. "Some of them were useful, too."

"And it takes a lot of intelligence to create those spells. I think that is really admirable." Kyungsoo says plainly, already forgetting about his orange head. "I couldn't do that just by reading through magical books."

Baekhyun isn't quite sure if he deserves his friend's nice words, but he takes them anyway. "It's childish", he lies. _Chanyeol said it's childish. He said Baekhyun isn't a real Slytherin. He said it's immature. He's right._ "I should grow up, that's what it is."

"O-Okay", the three boys seem to be overwhelmed by Baekhyun's mood swings, nodding in sync. "But what the hell happened?!" Jongdae asks.

"Nothing."

"Baek I _know_ when something's on your mind! I've been knowing you for twelve years now, you can't fucking fool me!"

"It's nothing, Jongdae."

Jongdae sharpens his eyes suspiciously.

Kyungsoo suddenly raises his soft voice, afraid of saying something wrong. "Is it because of ... Park Chanyeol?"

_Damn it._

"WHAT?"

"Of course not!" Baekhyun pretends to find this funny. "Ha-ha-ha, what the hell, of course it's _not_ because of him." 

Kyungsoo clears his throat awkwardly. A long silence follows.

"So it _is_ because of Chanyeol, huh", Jongdae figures.

"What ... - haven't you ... haven't you heard what I just said?!" Baekhyun snaps.

Jongdae ignores Baekhyun, turning to Kyungsoo again. "What did Chanyeol tell him? Was he being mean?"

"Well", Kyungsoo gives Baekhyun an apologetic look before facing Jongdae again. "After Baekhyun came to my defense, Chanyeol started picking on him. You know how he is when someone dares to disagree with his opinion ... he was just being a douchebag, telling Baekhyun that nobody likes him and his pranks, but that isn't true of course!"

Yixing intuitively lays his arm around Baekhyun's shoulder, and even though he would never admit it, it was kind of nice to have someone embrace him in some sort of skinship, even if that someone was Xang Yixing; the funny Hufflepuff that always seems to fall asleep. "Yeah, but I didn't care anyway," Baekhyun says quickly. "'s not like I mind."

"So it's just a coincidence that you want to change your ... your _lifestyle_ shortly after listening to Chanyeol criticise it?" Jongdae asks sarcastically, eyeing Baekhyun. "Come on Baek, I know that's not it. In fact, we all do. Who the hell cares what that jerk says anyway? No need to please him, you know."

"You don't get it", Baekhyun sighs, giving in as so often. "It's not about _pleasing_ Park Chanyeol", he explains. "it's about proving him _wrong_."

 

* * *

 

It's midnight and the Slytherin common-room is quiet, only the dabbling of the water lapping against the windows keeps Baekhyun awake. He had always loved this; the green light, the stone walls, the _Great Lake_ surrounding them. He feels the most magical when he is here.

The brown-haired boy picks his wand and stares at it carefully.

He got his wand seven years ago when he was eleven years old and met Mr. Ollivander for the first time. _Good times_ , Baekhyun thinks, now sitting up and staring at the many magical books next to his bed. When Baekhyun was young and naive, coming to Hogwarts every year was the most beautiful thought in the whole world.

He got raised by a poor Muggle family; one that struggles with problems so pitiful that Baekhyun would love to stay at Hogwarts forever. His step-father was an alcoholic, an _asshole_ , and Baekhyun can't spend more than a few seconds with him in the same room without casting a damn spell on him. His mom would shout " _Baekhyun, stop it_ ", but her voice would always be too weak to actually stop her oldest son from kicking that bastard over and over again. " _He deserves it. He deserves it. He is a_ _molester_ ", but who would listen to Baekhyun's words anyway?

Humans ain't shit.

The happy, nostalgic feeling in the pit of his stomach vanishes at the thought of his family, getting replaced by many different emotions at once. Fear, hate, anger, and sadness.

Baekhyun shifts back, his eyes still glued to the wand in his hand.

Sometimes he thinks about what that son of a bitch does to his little brother when Baekhyun isn't there to protect him. He thinks about all the pain that his little brother must go through every damn year when Baekhyun enters the Hogwarts Express and leaves him behind. He also thinks about how bad he wants to see his step-father dead, _gone_.

"Baekhyun?"

Baekhyun looks up in annoyance, his eyes small and his brows furrowed. He must've looked angry because the first grader that approached him apologized immediately after.

"T-This is for you", he says shyly. "Someone gave me this letter and there's your name written on it ... s-so I thought maybe it's addressed to you."

"Of course it is if my name's on it", Baekhyun mutters out angrily, snatching the white letter away from the small boy. " _Thanks_ ", he forces himself to say nevertheless.

Baekhyun watches the boy go back to his bed, shutting the light off again. He sighs, only seeing the shadows of the little, oddly tiny letter in front of him. All he can see was that whoever wrote **_Baekhyun_** so neatly, it was no one that he knew. He recognizes Jongdae's handwriting anywhere, knowing it in and out (after struggling for ages to decipher the words Jongdae had written whenever he would try to copy his homework, at least), and this is definitely not Jongdae's handwriting, that's for sure.

" _Lumos_ ", Baekhyun whispers, watching as the tip of his wand illuminates. 

He opens the letter carefully, expecting it to be Kyungsoo whose face now turned pink or something (he wishes that that whole color jinx would just end already).

Baekhyun sharpens his eyes once the letter is finally open, reading.

_**Dear Byun Baekhyun,** _

_**meet me tonight. 3 AM. The Library.** _

_**In love,** _

_**Your dearest Friend** _

What .... _what_?

He quickly rereads the text, making sure to repeat every single syllable in his head. Is that so-called _dearest Friend_ asking Baekhyun to sneak out in the middle of the night just to meet up with somebody that he doesn't even know? It's probably just a prank anyway. Somebody clearly wants to force him into detention (which he clearly had enough of), but then again, who would write like that?

He chooses to read the letter again.

Nope.

Byun Baekhyun is not completely stupid.

He would not go there, knowing damn well that he will get expelled for it. The Library at night? What if Filch catches him? Oh hell to the no-no — he'd _not_ go there.

 

Maybe, Byun Baekhyun really is stupid.

Too afraid to mutter out the word _Lumos_ , he walks through the dark castle without being able to see anything. At least his sense of direction is good enough to lead him the way. He knows where the library is, it shouldn't take him longer than five minutes to get there from the Slytherin common room. But still, the fear of getting caught tugs at his chest. (And _really_ , how fucking stupid is he to actually go there?)

Sadly, Baekhyun's curiosity is bigger than his anxiety.

He cautiously uses the moving staircases to enter the first floor, feeling the adrenaline rush through his blood once he's on save ground again. _Why am I doing this, why am I doing this, why am I doing this, why am I -_

Baekhyun shakes his head.

_Because my dumbass can't handle curiosity._

Hogwarts is silent at night (and creepy as well). Baekhyun sighs internally once he recognizes the old library. Hoping that the door would open as quietly as Baekhyun would cast his spell, he whispers " _Alohomora_ ", smiling brightly as the door swings open, exposing the silent and darkened library.

At first, Baekhyun doesn't dare to take a step further into the lonely place, but after standing in front of it for a few seconds, the library gets less gloomy and mysterious. He takes a deep breath before closing the door after him.

It's dark, and whoever it was that wanted to meet up with Baekhyun here, they seem to be absent (Baekhyun dearly hopes so). "H-Hello", his voice cracks. "Is someone there?"

His voice roars through the empty library, echoing. 

The only sound that Baekhyun recalls is the hysteric breathing of someone. Of someone. _Not him_.

"Fuck, _Lumos_!" He squeels, ripping his eyes open widely. " _Lumos Lumos Lumos!_ " 

Light brightens up the room and the breathing stops.

Baekhyun stares, eyes big and prepared. He expects someone to stand next to him, a wand pointed at him, his friend laughing ... just _anything_. But Baekhyun is wrong. There is no person standing anywhere close to him.

Baekhyun wags around hysterically, his palms beginning to sweat. 

It is when his gaze wanders down and he rests his eyes on the ground when he notices the gigantic blood lake right underneath him. It was everywhere. Blood. The library was full of it.

And in the very next moment, he runs away.

He shoves the door open, not giving a fuck about Filch or anyone anymore. Baekhyun runs. He runs so fast and uncontrolled that he almost falls and trembles over a painting. Out of breath, Baekhyun stills, looking back and forth and left and right and _fuck_ -

What the _fuck_?!

That could've been anything, right? Why blood? It didn't smell like blood! It could've been ... color, or some shit. _Why blood? Why?_

Baekhyun runs his fingers through his hair, his breathing loud and hysteric. 

This has to be a fucking prank or he's going to fucking die right here.

It's not blood. It's not blood. It's. Not. Blood.

Baekhyun starts running again, trying to convince himself that damn, _it's not blood Byun Baekhyun_ , it's ... something.

He runs and runs and runs _so_ far away that he doesn't even know where the heck he is anymore. It feels like his sense of direction isn't as good as he always likes to believe it is, because he feels completely clueless as he finds himself standing in the middle of a tiny passageway leading into yet another passageway.

Oh shit.

Why does Hogwarts have to be so big anyway?

Suddenly, Baekhyun flinches as he hears a voice — a strangely familiar voice — roar in his ears. He hides behind a statue, visibly shaking and trembling from the earlier shock. _No blood, no blood -_

"I've been waiting for this for so long", someone hisses. _I know that voice,_ _I_ _fucking know it!_

"The wait was so worth it, babe." And that voice ... he knows that voice as well. But who...?

"I hate pretending to be someone that I'm not, you know", the deep voice says. "But if my family knew ... fuck, they would kill me Sehun. They would literally kill me."

"I know, I know", Sehun says (and Baekhyun tries to figure out how to escape their conversation without getting caught by them). "But that's why you have to serve _You-Know-Who_ even more devotedly. It will make up for it." Baekhyun catches his breath, being so fucking overwhelmed by all the sudden words that his brain just can't seem to register.

You-Know-Who?

_What?_

"Not so loud, idiot." Baekhyun leans forward and sees the familiar face of  _Chanyeol_ wipe away a wisp of black hair from Sehun's cheek. What are Sehun and Chanyeol doing outside of the Slytherin common room at this hour?

The way they stand so close to one another is _so_ weird, _so_ different. Sehun licks his lips, smirking, and moves even closer to Chanyeol.

"Let's do it here", Sehun suggests, and Baekhyun's innocent mind hopes that they are talking about doing their homework or something.

"You really like the thrill, don't you?"

They giggle and -

And _kiss_.

Baekhyun falls back, shocked, even though he saw it coming, confusion taking over his senses. Park Chanyeol and Oh Sehun have something going on? Are gay? Are having an affair? Are talking about fucking _You-Know-Who_? Baekhyun gets up, his shaking fingertips holding onto his wand as if his life depends on it.

Maybe he is just dreaming.

Yeah, he is totally dreaming.

And just as he is about to rub his eyes, hoping that he would wake up then, he sees a white letter right in front of him. 

**_Baekhyun,_ **

**_Thank Me Later._ **

**_In Love,_ **

**_The One That You Will Never Know_ **

 

* * *

 


	2. the fourth letter

Baekhyun had to literally _force_ himself to get up this morning.

Understandable, considering he didn't dare to close his eyes while he laid in his bed, his thoughts constantly drifting away. And no matter how hard he'd try to forget about all those crazy things that he had (granted, against his will) witnessed — he'd end up remembering them anyway. The creepy blood lake in the library, Chanyeol and Sehun's ... _affair,_ and them mentioning You-Know-Who ... all of it was just too baffling for Baekhyun to handle.

But Baekhyun knew that he couldn't just stay in bed forever, so he had rushed out of the Slytherin common room in a hurry and entered the Great Hall to eat breakfast with his friends as if nothing had happened the night before. 

"Good morning", Yixing whispers tiredly as he sits next to Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and Jongdae. "Wow, seems like Hagrid's balm finally worked for you, huh?"

Kyungsoo grins happily. Baekhyun hasn't really paid attention to the fact that Kyungsoo's head stopped looking green or _orange_ or whatever, and was back to his usual self again. "Yeah, it worked pretty well last night."

"It was about time." Jongdae says, leaning back and staring at his friend Kim Joonmyeon, a popular Gryffindor prefect, wave at him awkwardly. "Anyways", he turns back to the three boys. "So you just applied the balm and that's it? No more weird color-swaps?"

"Well", Kyungsoo thinks. "Madam Pomfrey used something else on me as well, but other than that, _that's it._ Hopefully no more weird color-swaps!"

"That's amazing", Yixing smiles warmly. "And Jongin will stop feeling guilty, too."

At that, Kyungsoo's smile fades as if the mention of Jongin just forced him to remember something. "Right, I-I should apologize since I blamed him ... you know."

"Oh that, _yeah_ ..." Yixing admits quickly. "Jongin is really sensitive. It's something to take care of as his friends", Yixing shrugs, but the way he speaks reminds Baekhyun of how much Yixing must care for the younger Hufflepuff boy. "Maybe you can talk to him after D-A-D-A."

Suddenly, Kyungsoo turns shy again. "Y-Yeah ...", as if he is trying his hardest to avoid the topic, he quickly says: "The Slytherins and Gryffindors have Defense Against the Dark Arts together, don't they?" He stares from Jongdae to Baekhyun.

 _Crap_ , now _he_ has to talk.

Baekhyun picks at his food; resting his head on his palm lazily. " _And_ History of Magic", he says coldly (everybody knows how much Baekhyun hates History of Magic).

"Damn right." Jongdae remembers, giving Baekhyun a playful nudge on the shoulder. "Seems like this is going to be a good day for you, huh?" He adds sarcastically and Baekhyun would've loved to scoff at that, but he was too tired to even look up.

"It's already bad." Baekhyun snarls, sounding just as annoyed as he looks.

"Wow, someone's in a mood", Yixing figures. "Are you tired? Maybe you can sleep in History of Magic, 's not like Professor Binns cares anyway", Yixing explains coolly. "If anything, his voice is _the_ perfect way to get some nice sleep, trust me."

"That will only get him into trouble", Kyungsoo says, sipping on his cup of tea. "Why are you tired anyway? As far as I remember you were going back to the Slytherin common room quite early."

Now, Jongdae and Yixing lean forward, eyeing the small Slytherin in curiosity. "I think I'm starting to get sick", he lies. _Yeah, sick of whatever it was that I saw last night._ Baekhyun's head falls back, his eyes closing for a short period. _Maybe_ , he thinks, _if I wouldn't have seen the blood before I caught Chanyeol and Sehun; if I wouldn't have been so shocked and afraid ... maybe I could've listened to their conversation more attentively. Maybe I could've found this whole thing out then._

"Sick?!" Jongdae frowns. "Oh geez, what's wrong?"

"Maybe I should take you to Madam Pomfrey, she wants to check on me and my face one more time today anyway", Kyungsoo suggests kindly, but Baekhyun shakes his head already. 

"It's not that bad," Baekhyun says, his voice raspy and sleepy. "It's just -", Baekhyun stops, distracted by the faces of his friends. All of them seem to have forgotten whatever it was that Baekhyun wanted to address; staring somewhere else. Or, staring _at_ someone else.

"Wow", Yixing mutters out. "Someone's glowing today."

Baekhyun, irritated, turns back. He glares over the gigantic, magical Great Hall, eyes carefully scanning the room, trying to find whatever it is that his friends seem to be so excited about. And then, he finally understands.

His eyes rest on a handsome, defined face — a face that everyone would take a second look at, with big, sparkling eyes and a weak smile on his lips. Chanyeol enters the Great Hall as though he owns it (and Baekhyun hates it). He wears his Slytherin tie neatly, the white blouse that he has tucked into his pants exposing a muscular chest. Of course, Park Chanyeol _is_ good looking. 

And Chanyeol's way of walking — a mixture of annoying confidence and staggering certainty — is making Baekhyun feel even _worse_ about himself. 

"Is it just me, or does he look different today?" Kyungsoo blurs out, staring at Chanyeol in envy.

The others nod and Baekhyun glares at Chanyeol again. The tall prefect was heading towards the Slytherin table, already embracing his 'girlfriend' (who Baekhyun feels pretty bad for) in a loving hug. _Why am I keeping Chanyeol's secret anyway? I should just tell Yoojung about what her boyfriend likes to do in his free-time ..._ ( _or_ who _he likes to do_ ). 

But maybe, after all, Baekhyun is just a coward.

 

* * *

 

Just as Baekhyun survived the most boring _History of Magic_ lesson with Mr. Binns, he sees a very tall and scary looking Slytherin approach him from behind. It's Kris Wu, he recognizes him by the smell of cigarettes and butterbeer. 

Kris' chocolate-brown hair is pushed back, his hands in his pants pockets. "Hey Byun", he yells, walking across the hallway.

"Hey." He stops lazily, having to tilt his head due to Kris' height. "Where were you in History of Magic?"

"Didn't feel like it", he says casually, stopping once he stands in front of the smaller boy. Kris grins and waves at a crowd of Slytherin guys that pass him by. "Visiting _The Three Broomsticks_  with a couple of other Slytherins just sounded better than History of Magic. You should've joined us man."

Baekhyun smirks, thinking back to the time of his life where he would skip classes every now and then. "Yeah, I should have."

Kris shrugs. "But that's not what I wanted to say."

Baekhyun furrows his brows as he watches Kris grab something out of his bag, a curious look on his manly and demanding face. "I found this earlier and ... seems like it belongs to you."

Baekhyun glares at the white letter in Kris' hand, recognizing the familiar handwriting and ornament of the letter immediately. He gasps internally, freezing in his spot. Baekhyun thinks back to last night automatically — he can't help it, the familiarity of the letter triggers something inside of him.

Baekhyun blinks.

_That is the same fucking letter._

"Something wrong?" Kris smirks, staring at the letter carefully. "Is it a love-letter? Who's it from?" 

"I ... I don't know, I mean - you _found_ it?" Baekhyun asks. "Where _exactly_  have you found it Kris?"

"Next to the chimney," Kris answers impatiently. "Do you want it now or not?"

Baekhyun snatches the letter away from Kris, even though hesitantly at first, eyeing the same neatly handwritten name of his in disbelief **_"_** To: _**Baekhyun"**_ What the hell does that crazy creep want from him? Why does he get these letters anyway? Why him? Who is that annoying person that won't let him alone?

"You don't seem too happy", Kris narrows Baekhyun, leaning against the wall. "Is someone bothering you? Do you want me to take care of that person?"

Baekhyun shakes his head. "I have no fucking idea who this is, I swear", he sighs, letting the letter slide into his bag. "But thanks for the delivery man, that's nice."

"Yeah, whatever", Kris eyes Baekhyun for a long time, almost as if he tries to figure something out. But he quickly let's go of it, patting Baekhyun's back gently. "Well, I gotta go. Have a nice day Byun."

Baekhyun nods, and once Kris is gone, Baekhyun dares to open the letter.

**_Dear Baekhyun,_ **

**_There Are Terrible Things Going To Happen_ **

**_All You Can Do Now, Is Trust Me._ **

**_In Love,_ **

**_Someone That Needs Your Help_ **

 

* * *

 

"Slytherins! _All of you_ — head to the Slytherin common room! Follow the prefects! Hurry, _hurry_!"

"What's wrong?" Someone asks, but nobody seems to have an answer to that.

Baekhyun finds himself standing in the middle of the fifth storey, eyes ripped open and heart beating faster than ever. Students are running through the castle, afraid and irritated by the many prefects trying to collect their people on the many floors and storeys. Baekhyun turns left and right, getting confused by the thousands of students running, and ends up following the sound of Chanyeol's deep voice.

"This way, Slytherins, this way."

"Yeol, what's happening?" Yoojung asks loudly, following her boyfriend in a hurry. "I saw Snape's face and - _what happened_?" Baekhyun doesn't miss the change of her voice while she speaks, almost as if she _knows_ something (something that sparks Baekhyun's interest).

"Not now." Chanyeol responds coldly, leading the Slytherins through the staircases without even looking at the girl next to him. 

"But -"

"Not now."

With that, he shuts her up.

Baekhyun hides behind Kris' tall frame, turning back to see what Professor Hooch and Professor Flitwick, the only two professors that are standing behind them, are up to. They are being suspiciously secretive, constantly looking if someone follows the students.  _They behave_ _oddly_ , Baekhyun thinks as he catches Professor Hooch boiling her fists and longing for her wand as if she wants to protect herself from something.

Hogwarts is a mess — students are running through the big castle, helplessly looking for a teacher or a prefect. Something is clearly going on and yet nobody seems to think that the students need to know  _what_ it is that they have to hide from.

Baekhyun has been on his way to his friend Jongdae when he heard the sudden screams and kicks. And then, out of nowhere, the students have started to run. The last thing he recalls is Dumbledore's voice shouting through the air: " _Follow your prefects. Follow their advices._ " Dumbledore has obviously tried to calm the students down, which worked for like a second until the Hufflepuff prefect Huang Zitao broke down _crying_ in front of a couple of other Hufflepuffs (which caused even more panic).

And as Baekhyun had stood there and watched all of it happen in slow motion, he had connected the dots.

It is as simple as it sounds.

The weird letters that he receives and the blood-lake in the library have to be connected to what happens right now. He is almost entirely certain that the letters aren't part of a prank anymore. And the blood ... god, he wishes he wouldn't have ran off like an idiot last night. _If I would've stayed there ..._

"What the fuck? Are you fucking stupid, _Byun_?" Baekhyun flinches as the sudden voice of Chanyeol roars in his ears. "What are you doing up there? Are you deaf? I said 'follow me', not 'stand still', moron."

Snapping out of his trance, Baekhyun notices that he does, in fact, stand still. He looks up to the Slytherin prefect, wishing he'd just leave him alone. Judging by what he knows about the case, he should talk to Dumbledore. Urgently. Going back to the dormitory and keeping his mouth shut only to stay save would be a Chanyeol-thing to do (probably), but Baekhyun's better than that.

"Baekhyun", Chanyeol says. "It's fucking dangerous, _follow me_."

Baekhyun stares. He got two simple options. Either he follows Chanyeol and is being rational for once — or he runs away and tells Dumbledore about what he had witnessed last night (and completely ignores his safety because who the fuck cares anyway).

" _Byun. Baek. Hyun._ "

"Fuck off", Baekhyun hisses suddenly, and before he can realize it himself, he is already running away, passing the two suspicious Professors and a crazy crowd of Hufflepuffs by. Baekhyun knows _exactly_ where Dumbledore's office is; he's been there quite a lot (sadly, a lot more than he's been to the library).

At first, Baekhyun feels brave.

_Yeah, watch me. I am not a coward. I'm going to tell everyone! I am going to ... -_

_What the hell?!_

(That didn't last long).

He turns back to see if Chanyeol has left already, but oh my god, how could he possibly know that that freak of a long-legged prick would start _following_ him like his life depended on it? And _damn_ , he is fast. Baekhyun tries to run faster, catching his breath, but Chanyeol already grabs his wrist and pushes him away. The taller boy frowns and shakes his head. "What the fuck do you think you are doing? Do you think this is a game? It's my duty as a -"

"Oh fuck _off_ ", Baekhyun pushes Chanyeol's strong hand off of his way smaller wrist, staring at him angrily. "I give a flying fuck about your duty as a prefect."

Chanyeol looks disgusted for a split second, pressing his lips together tightly. "If something happens to you, it's _my_ fault."

"Well, I need to talk to Dumbledore." 

" _I don't care._ Every Slytherin must be safe in the common room, don't you get that?"

"Well, but I - " Baekhyun gets cut off as Chanyeol presses his palm against his mouth, stopping him fron talking. " _Shh_ ", Chanyeol makes and Baekhyun stares at him cluelessly.

"No, _Severus_ , I think we both know", at the sudden voice of _Albus Dumbledore_ , coming from the other side of the wall that Chanyeol had pressed Baekhyun against, both Baekhyun and Chanyeol widen their eyes in utter shock and confusion. Baekhyun gasps and sees Chanyeol close his eyes as though he fears getting caught by Professor Dumbledore.

"We both know what killed this boy, Severus."

Now, Baekhyun gulps.

He expects Chanyeol to look just as shocked as he is, _someone died, someone fucking died_ , but that isn't the case. Instead, Chanyeol just stares blankly, putting on a mask that resembles his I'm-Perfect-And-Better-Than-You mask.

Baekhyun ignores how cold Chanyeol looks at the announcement of a fellow student's death, trying to listen to the rest of Dumbledore's conversation. If Baekhyun could, he would have screamed something along the lines of " _I saw blood in the library_ ", but something about the way Chanyeol stares at him him tells him that that's _probably_ a bad idea. (Yeah, it really is.)

"We don't know if it's because of ... Albus, please." Snape begs, sounding affected and hurt (and Chanyeol stiffens once more). "We have to wait."

" _Wait_ , Severus? Until another poor boy dies?"

_Oh my god._

"Let's get away from here", Chanyeol whispers suddenly, and before Baekhyun even gets the chance to understand what just happened, he gets dragged away already. Baekhyun looks back as Chanyeol takes him towards the staircases again, trying to get a closer look at Snape and Dumbledore, but he can't see them anymore.

"Chanyeol", Baekhyun says loudly, seeing how the taller boy tenses up immediately. Chanyeol lets go of Baekhyun, now furrowing his brows in disgust and hatred again. "Either you follow me to the library, or you have to run after me."

"What?!"

"I have to go to the library."

Chanyeol knits his brows and Baekhyun is sure that at this point, Chanyeol tries his best to not yell at Baekhyun. "What has gotten into you? Haven't you heard what Dumbledore just said you freak?! Someone died and you want to borrow a fucking  _book_?"

"No you stupid ....", Baekhyun chews on his upper lip, trying to calm himself down. "Forget it, I have to visit the library _now_. And since you claim to be such a good prefect, you happen to have no other choice than to follow me."

_Touché._

 

"We shouldn't be here", Chanyeol says silently, standing close to the library entrance and looking for potential professors that could be stumbling upon them. "Trust me this is _not_ safe."

"I know", Baekhyun replies, eyes on the same spot where he saw the blood lake last night ... only that there was no blood lake. Someone must've cleaned it up before anyone could see it. "But ... how do _you_ know it's not safe here? What do you know?" Baekhyun, already used to the creepy library and the silence surrounding it, crosses his arms. 

The prefect closes the door (and Baekhyun screams internally), sighing. "Listen, why did you come here?"

"I asked you something first, idiot. What the hell do you know?"

"I know nothing", Chanyeol looks serious. "I know nothing, are you satisfied now?" Chanyeol rolls his arms and stares at Baekhyun. "Tell me why you forced me to enter the fucking _crime scene,_ you moron?"

 _This is the crime scene?_ , he would have loved to ask, but he can't speak, too many thoughts draining him at once. _I knew it I knew it I knew it I knew it!_ and _Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!_

Chanyeol runs his fingers through his messy black hair, sighing. "What are we doing here Byun? Why are you behaving so strangely? I don't fucking get it."

Baekhyun couldn't tell Chanyeol about the letters that he received — he'd probably not believe him anyway. And maybe, if they found out that he visited the library (that also happens to be a god damn crime scene) at midnight, which is not allowed, he would get expelled forreal this time. _Fuck_. He is in big trouble. "I ... I have to look for something", Baekhyun says suddenly. 

That was a bad excuse.

"That's too dangerous. Byun, what's wrong with you?"

"Shut up, will you", Baekhyun snarls, carefully entering the empty library. "You said this is the crime scene, didn't you? How do you know that _Mr. Unsuspicious_?"

Chanyeol chuckles boldly, now crossing his arms. "Oh now you make it look as though _I_ am the suspicious one, nice try."

"No, that was a legitimate question. _How do you know this is the crime scene?_ "

"Baekh - "

A loud noise makes Baekhyun flinch. "Good morning, Mr. Byun. Have you found what you are looking for?" Professor McGonagall opens the library door, face strict and collected. "Why aren't you two in the Slytherin common room? What is going on?" Now, she seems disappointed.

"Professor McGonnagal, I c-can explain this." Baekhyun stutters. "I promise I will tell you the whole truth if - "

"Stop talking, Byun. This is not the right time for a silly prank of yours. A student _died_ last night." Professor McGonagall takes a deep breath, glaring at Baekhyun angrily. "I trusted you Mr. Park. How could you allow Mr. Byun to sneak into the library at this time! You know better than anyone else that nobody ... _that nobody is safe here anymore._ " She shakes her head. "I am truly disappointed in you."

Just as Professor McGonagall talks, Baekhyun's eyes silently gaze around the library. It's a ridiculous coincidence, he thinks, as he catches a glimpse of a white, tiny letter that Baekhyun has grown to know very well. Baekhyun's mouth falls open. This is _more_ than just ridiculous.

He recks his chin, trying to stare at what is written on the letter. And it doesn't surprise him when he finally reads it in his head.

 ** _Baekhyun_** , it says.

"Get out of here, boys. Now! 

Oh and _... Forty points from Slytherin_." Professor McGonagall finishes her sentence coldly, leaving both Chanyeol and Baekhyun stunned.

 

* * *

 

"Well, it could've been worse."

"Shut up." Chanyeol says angrily, leading the way back to the Slytherin common room. "If you wouldn't have forced me to enter the library for no reason, we wouldn't have to spend the next months of our lives in detention."

"I _had_ my reasons", Baekhyun hisses. Yeah, he had (everyone would've made sure that the blood lake was still there - only that it wasn't).

"Yeah, right, you wanted to _find_ something", Chanyeol speaks as though he can't believe he has anticipated in this stupid mess. "You do know that everyone will think that you're somehow involved in what happened today, right?"

Baekhyun scoffs, trotting after the taller quickly. "Yeah, sure, but if you ask me, you look far more sketchy than I do!"

Chanyeol doesn't respond to that, still walking towards the staircases. 

"You didn't even answer my to question earlier!" He tries, but Chanyeol ignores him once more. Baekhyun pouts and chooses to not talk to that stupid twat no more. (It's not like he wanted him to accompany him anyway).

They stand on the moving staircase, both obviously angry at the other, and Baekhyun is lost in his own thoughts again (that have nothing to do with Park Chanyeol, of course). 

(Or, they do).

Chanyeol could've blamed his knowledge of the murder on his job as a prefect, but he didn't, so why couldn't Chanyeol answer his questions regarding where he knew all those things from? And then again, his suspicious behavior the night before when he was talking to Sehun doesn't look good either. 

So, Baekhyun figures, ignoring Chanyeol is a much harder task than he would have guessed it is. "I'm just curious how you could know all those things about the dead kid!"

"Oh shut up", Chanyeol looks annoyed, now rolling his eyes. 

"Why can't you answer a single question?" Baekhyun teases him. "You're hiding something. Ha, knew it. Suspicious as heck."

He moans. "You are annoying, Byun, go talk to someone else."

The two boys enter the dungeon and Baekhyun feels pretty good about himself. "Trust me, I'd rather talk to someone else, too, but I'm stuck with _you_ , apparently", he smirks.

Chanyeol stops, giving him a dirty look. "You want to know why I know all of that? Fine." Chanyeol looks around and makes sure that nobody can listen to their conversation in secret. "The boy that died was a good friend of my sister. I ... _had_ to know how it happened." He cleared his throat awkwardly, immediately throwing an intimidating glare at the smaller boy in front of him. "And now let me the fuck alone."

Baekhyun sighs, not sure if he should believe Chanyeol or not. "But there's one more thing", he admits. "I saw you last night", he watches Chanyeol getting uncomfortable (and enjoys it). "I saw you and ... your _friend_. I mean, I'm not judging, but I'm pretty sure you agree with me when I say it's really weird that you were out the night where the killing happened, right?"

Chanyeol looks cold at first, then he bursts out into a smirk. "Are you really _that_ stupid, Byun? If you tell that to anyone, they will ask what the hell _you_ were up to at the _same_ freaking moment. So what the hell would you gain out of that?"

"Nothing", he says. "I won't tell anybody. I just want you to know that I ... that I know of your relationship with Sehun."

"Shut up", he snarls angrily. "It's not what it looks like."

"Sure it's not", Baekhyun smirks, knowing better than anyone how tempted Chanyeol feels to just punch Baekhyun in the face. 

"Besides", the taller starts. "What were you doing out there anyway? Sneaking out to spy on me? What are you, my fucking stalker? In love with me, Byun?" He grins.

"You wish", Baekhyun steps closer, staring at him angrily. 

"What did you do that night, Byun?"

"I won't ask about what it is that you and Sehun have going on", Baekhyun says calmly. "And you won't ask about what I was up to that night. Deal?"

Chanyeol stares. "Fine."

"Fine."

" _Fine_ ",

 

* * *

 

"Died from blood loss", Professor Snape pushes Chanyeol into a dark office, his voice thin and dangerously calm. "Do you think I am stupid? Do you think I don't _understand_ what is going on right now?" Snape closes the door behind them carefully, his hands gripping Chanyeol's bride shoulders so tightly that it starts to hurt. "Open your mouth."

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Sir", Chanyeol widens his eyes, noticing his trembling fingertips. He can't see Snape's face due to the darkness, but he knows that he must be just as nervous as he is. "I don't know who killed that boy!"

"Lies!"

"Professor - "

"On which side are you, Park?"

Chanyeol catches his breath, listening to his unsteady heartbeat. "You have to trust me, Professor, I've got a _plan_."

Professor Snape halts awkwardly, his lips twitching. Something about the way he stands tells Chanyeol one very important thing about his Professor _and_  only ally; he mistrusts him. "You were always good at manipulating, Park, I don't believe a single word that comes out of that filthy mouth of yours anymore."

"But you have no other choice, Professor", Chanyeol's voice gets harder. " _You owe me._ "

 

* * *

 

Baekhyun had asked Kyungsoo to meet at the _Clock Tower Courtyard_ after his classes ended. Right after Hogwarts has _finally_ calmed down (and Dumbledore has hired thousands of Aurors to keep the students safe), everyone was free to leave the common rooms again. 

The teachers have told everyone that it was, in fact, a dead student laying in the library. And everyone had gasped other than Baekhyun and Chanyeol, who only stared at one another awkwardly.

Baekhyun knows that whoever it is that killed the boy in the library — they will do it again and they will be better at what they are doing than they were before.

It's the weird feeling in his gut that tells him that he is, somehow, already in too deep to run away now. The letters that he has received weren't just part of a childish game that someone was playing with him. Someone wanted to let him know about the death before a teacher could find out. 

Baekhyun sighs and stares at the castle. _Hogwarts has always been his happy place. Always been a source of comfort and safety._ He grabs the many letters that he had carefully hidden in his cloak, thinking thoughtfully. Someone chose _him_ to know about all those things going on in Hogwarts when everyone's asleep, _him_. And that just _has_ to mean something ...

"Baekhyun?" Kyungsoo's voice makes Baekhyun snap back to reality. The smaller boy holds a dozen of books in his hands, wearing specs and having messy hair. "H-Hi ... I just finished my homework."

"I see", Baekhyun quickly hides the letters again, clearing his throat. "Do you want me to help with that pile of books? I thought you were done with homework?"

"Oh, _that's_ not homework", Kyungsoo puts the books into his little bag. "That's just something that I'm going to read tonight."

Baekhyun wants to ask just how the hell Kyungsoo can read so much in just one afternoon but closes his mouth again shortly after. "Well, have fun I guess."

Kyungsoo nods. "Why did you want to meet me here?"

"It's ...", Baekhyun sits down, waiting until a group of Ravenclaw girls passes them by. "It's about the boy that died. I ... uh, have a couple of questions."

"But Baekhyun, I don't know more than you and everybody else knows about the case."

"No, I know I know", he takes a deep breath. "But I know that you know a whole lot more about spells than I do." Kyungsoo frowns, coming closer to Baekhyun. " _Please_ , Kyungsoo, it's really important."

"Okay", he gives in. "What is it?"

Baekhyun shifts back, allowing Kyungsoo to take the empty seat on the fountain next to him. "I just got curious ... I mean we learned about the unforgivable curses in D.A.D.A, but as far as I remember, none of them make their victims lose blood."

"True."

"So ... are there other deadly spells that make their victim lose a lot of blood?"

"Well", Kyungsoo whispers, looking around to make sure that no one is following their conversation. "There are a few that end deadly other than the three unforgivable curses, _Fiendfyre_ for example ... but Baekhyun, why do you need to know all that?"

"I want to know how he was killed", Baekhyun admits. "I want to know why there was a blood lake ... why did the killer want him to lose so much blood instead of killing him with the easiest curse out there? Why not just _Avada Kedavra?_ "

As if there was something Kyungsoo doesn't understand, he opens his mouth confusedly. "Wait, blood lake, you say?" He jumps up. "There was a blood lake?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"How do you know that, oh my god!"

"Oh, you didn't know? Does that mean nobody knows?" Baekhyun feels as though he just made himself look even more fishy.

"But _you_ clearly do", Kyungsoo eyes Baekhyun for a while, still shocked. "What else do you know?"

"Nothing", Baekhyun doesn't lie. "I just saw the blood and got curious. Kyungsoo — is there a spell that makes its victim bleed _heavily_?"

Kyungsoo tries his hardest not to ask a dozen of questions at once, sighing. "Heavily, you say? How much blood was there exactly?"

"Almost as if he got dissected by something", Baekhyun feels horribly angry all of a sudden. He thinks back to when he entered the library that night, not knowing about the possible danger that he could have gotten into. He remembers hearing someone breathing. What if the boy was still alive at that time. What if _that_ was what the person who wrote the letter wanted him to find in the library. _Maybe he could've saved his life if he wouldn't have run away._

"Uh ... t-that sounds like ...", Kyungsoo notices the look on Baekhyun's face, laying his arm around his shoulders. "Wait, are you okay?"

Baekhyun wants to run back to the library and take the letter with him, though he knows that he can't. The library is under the supervision of Madam Pince and Filch (and his cat), so it was technically impossible to enter the library. But he _has_  to get that stupid letter. Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo, surprised by how scarily calm he must've looked. "Kyungsoo", he says. "What's the spell called?"

Kyungsoo opens his mouth for a split second, then closes it again. 

"Tell me", he demands. 

" _Sectum Sempra._ " Kyungsoo stands up, grabbing his bag. "It sounds like _Sectum Sempra_. A spell by Severus Snape."

Suddenly, Baekhyun has a plan.

 

* * *

 

It's midnight when Baekhyun receives his fourth letter. It lays next to his bed — next to another oblivious Slytherin boy — it lays there as if it _belongs_ there. And if Baekhyun wouldn't have known what the white letters mean by now, he would've thought that it is just a useless sheet of paper of no significance.

To: **_Baekhyun_**

Baekhyun glares at the letter in his hands for a while before he opens it. He didn't expect to receive another one tonight. It was almost ironic, considering he planned to sneak into the well-protected library one way or another. 

Last year, Baekhyun had invented a spell (okay, to be honest, it' a _jinx_ , not a spell), that he had called _FlooverFloosh_. It appears to be a simple, tiny, colorful ball, but oh man, a _FlooverFloosh_ isn't just that. They come in four colors. Yellow, Pink, Purple and Green. If you were to throw the _yellow_ ball and make it crash; everyone in immediate proximity would fall asleep (he used it on Lee Taeyong once). If you were to throw the pink ball and make it crash; everyone in immediate proximity would start talking backwards. If you were to throw a purple ball and make it crash; everyone in immediate proximity would start crying nonstop (his personal favorite). And lastly, if you were to throw the green ball and make it crash; everyone in immediate proximity would freeze in their spots for about thirty seconds.

Baekhyun had invented the _FlooverFloosh Ball's_ for one reason: they were fun to use. But unfortunately, Professor Snape didn't think they were funny at all, and when he caught Baekhyun jinxing Lee Taeyeong with the yellow _FlooverFloosh_ , he took it with him (and Baekhyun had to endure detention for three months).

But thankfully, Snape never knew that there isn't just one _FlooverFloosh_ , but four! 

(Granted, he had lost the purple one four months ago when Sehun pushed him down the moving stairs).

But still, Baekhyun owned two of four _FlooverFloosh Ball's_. And he finally found a reason to use them again.

Baekhyun sits straight, listening to the crackling sounds of the chimney. As so often, the boys in the Slytherin common room are sleeping already. Only a few are staying up late to finish their homework or to think about their coming examinsations.

" _Lumos_ ", Baekhyun whispers under his breath.

He opens the letter as carefully as always, feeling both curious and excited as he takes out a neatly folded letter.

**_Dear Baekhyun,_ **

**_You Have To Visit The Restricted Section Tonight._ **

**_It's of Importance to Come There._ **

**_Forget the Letter in The Library._ **

**_It's Too Dangerous._ **

**_The Restricted Section. 1 AM._ **

**_In Love,_ **

**_The One You May Know Once_ **

Baekhyun stares. And he thinks.

Why would the Restricted Section be any less dangerous than the library itself? It doesn't make any sense, but Baekhyun has no other choice than to do what the unknown person wants him to do. It _could_ save innocent lives, after all. 

He grabs his bag, a confident grin sitting on his lips. He longed for the green _FlooverFloosh_ and hid it inside his black cloak. He was ready to finally jinx someone again (but this time, for the good).

 

The Restricted Section can be, just like the library, found on the fourth floor. It's at the back of the library itself, and usually, you can only get there with the permission of a teacher. Baekhyun uses his wand to read the sign _**Restricted Section of the Library,**_ feeling the adrenaline rush through his body at the thought of how crazy it is to be up at night  in the library right now. 

He knows that it's stupid (and incredibly dangerous), but he feels as though he just _has_ to do it.

Baekhyun takes a deep breath when he hears the voice of someone gush something out loud: "Ah, stupid kids. Stupid job. 's tiring, isn't it?"

Argus Filch sits in front of the library, as expected, shaking his head while talking to himself. Baekhyun observes him. This is crazy. He'd definitely get expelled. No doubt. It really is crazy.

But it's intriguing, too.

Therefore, it takes Byun Baekhyun every fiber of his body to jump up and run towards Filch, who, shocked and horrified to death, lets out a loud gasp. " _You_!", he shouts before Baekhyun throws his FlooverFloosh towards the older caretaker and grins. (Oh, he loves it.) 

Filch wants to grab Baekhyun's collar, but he freezes in his spot, unable to move.

From now on, Baekhyun only got thirty seconds until shit's going down for real. 

And to be quite honest, he didn't think of what would happen if ... if he wouldn't make it there in time. So he waves Filch goodbye and whispers " _Alohomora_ " under his breath, running through the library, hoping that he wouldn't get lost in the darkness.

He hears footsteps that are neither his nor Filch's.

" _Lumos_ ", he mutters and watches as the tip of his wand illuminates. 

He stills.

_Oh no._

_Oh hell no._

"What the fuck are _you_ doing here?!" Baekhyun asks as he enters the restricted section of the library.

Judging by the look on his face, Park Chanyeol thinks exactly the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i excuse grammatical errors. i'm not a native speaker (and i'm suuuuper unhappy with how this turned out but i hope it's still okay)


End file.
